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February 2024
Find more Sleuths on Screen
Adapting popular crime series for television and the movies comes with the challenge of casting the correct actors in the part of beloved characters. Casting the wrong actor in a role can condemn a series to a single outing, but good casting can create a franchise (and make billions of dollars, as in the case of James Bond—$6 billion and still counting). The actor is often the character since many more people may see the movies than will read the books. The actor in a crime series will forever define the character—until he or she is replaced by a younger actor. The James Bond series has survived and prospered using numerous actors in the starring role. Other franchises keep trying to find the perfect actor for the part. The Jack Ryan series is about to feature its fourth Jack Ryan in five films. Some characters transcend nationalities. You can find Czech Philip Marlowes, Italian Jules Maigrets, Japanese Miss Marples, and Russian Hercule Poirots.
With the help of the Internet Movie Database, we've put together a list of 15 popular sleuths (well, 14 sleuths and 1 second banana) and some of the actors who have portrayed them.
James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux
Burke's popular Cajun detective has appeared in about 20 books but only in two films. Alec Baldwin played him in the 1996 Heaven's Prisoners, but it failed at the box office. Robicheaux was best cast in Bertrand Tavernier's In the Electric Mist (2009), when he was portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones, although it, too, failed to find an audience.
John D. McDonald's Travis McGee
McDonald's "salvage consultant" was featured in 21 novels, but only two movies have been made from them. Rod Taylor played McGee in Darker Than Amber (1970), and later, Sam Elliott, famous for his horseshoe mustache, played McGee in Travis McGee, a 1983 TV movie, although he was relocated to California, so it hardly counts.
Donald Hamilton's Matt Helm
Dean Martin starred as a wisecracking version of secret agent Matt Helm in The Silencers and in three other films made in the 1960s. These films, noted for their sexy costars (Stella Stevens, Ann-Margaret, Elke Sommer, Sharon Tate), parodied the James Bond movies of the time and bore little resemblance to the tough counteragent that Hamilton featured in 27 books. In the 1970s, Tony Franciosa played him in Matt Helm as a former spy turned private detective in a short-lived, standard-issue television series. Dean Martin's Helm later served as inspiration for Mike Myers' comical spy, Austin Powers.
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan
Four films have been released (so far) featuring Clancy's Jack Ryan, and three actors (so far) have portrayed him. Alec Baldwin played Ryan in The Hunt for Red October but was replaced by Harrison Ford for Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. Ben Affleck got mixed reviews as Ryan when the series was rebooted in 2002 with The Sum of All Fears. But stay tuned. Later this year, the Jack Ryan franchise will be rebooted once again, this time with Chris Pine starring as the young CIA analyst in the Kenneth Branagh–directed Jack Ryan.
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer
First played by Biff Elliot in I, the Jury (1953), Hammer was probably most famously portrayed by Ralph Meeker as a sadistic bully in Robert Aldrich's nihilistic Kiss Me Deadly (1955). Spillane's tough guy has also been played by Brian Keith, Darren McGavin, Kevin Dobson, and Armand Assante, among others. Stacy Keach had the longest run as Mike Hammer, starring as the detective in three different television series from 1983 through 1998. In an unusual casting job, Spillane himself once played his own creation in the UK production of The Girl Hunters (1963).
Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe
Dick Powell was the first to play Chandler's hard-boiled detective in the 1944 Murder My Sweet, a big change of pace from his typical roles as the nice-guy singer in many Warner Brothers musicals. In 1946, Humphrey Bogart offered the definitive portrayal of Marlowe in John Huston's The Big Sleep, a performance greatly admired by Chandler himself. Marlowe has also been played by George Sanders, Robert Montgomery, George Montgomery, James Garner, Elliott Gould, and Robert Mitchum. Robert Montgomery's Marlowe in Lady in the Lake is interesting because almost the entire picture is shot in the first-person perspective, so you almost never see Marlowe. Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye, starring Gould and set in the 1970s, was anachronistic in many ways, but Gould pulls it off. Danny Glover, in an unusual bit of casting, won an Emmy nomination as Marlowe in Showtime's Fallen Angels television series.
Leslie Charteris' Simon Templar (The Saint)
Charteris' mysterious Simon Templar, "the Saint," is another long-running character from a series of 70 books that first appeared in 1928. The Saint first appeared on the silver screen in 1938, when he was portrayed by Louis Haywood in The Saint in New York, but he was soon replaced by George Sanders for a run of five films. Haywood briefly returned to the role in 1953. The character was revived for a successful, long-running television series in the 1960s starring Roger Moore (later famous for his turn at James Bond and on the TV western Maverick) and then revived again in the late 1980s by Simon Dutton (son-in-law of Sir Lawrence Olivier). In 1997, Val Kilmer portrayed the Saint in a motion picture. A new television series featuring the Saint is currently in production.
George Simenon's Jules Maigret
George Simenon's Maigret appeared in 75 novels published over 40 years. He has been portrayed in film and on television, beginning with Night at the Crossroads (1932), starring Pierre Renoir (son of the painter and brother of the filmmaker). Simenon himself preferred the actor Rupert Davies, who played Maigret on the BBC. (Interestingly, Simenon thought that the ideal Madame Maigret was portrayed by Tomomi Sato, who played her in a modern-day Japanese version in 1978.) Jean Gabin, Richard Harrison, Michael Gambon, and the Italian Sergio Castellitto, among others, have also been cast as Maigret.
Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason
First portrayed by Warren William in The Case of the Howling Dog (1934) and in three other films, the popular defense-attorney character is best remembered for Raymond Burr's embodiment of the role. Burr played him on television from 1957 to 1966. Monte Markham played him in The New Perry Mason in the 1970s, while Burr starred in Ironside, but Burr later reprised the role in Perry Mason Returns, which aired on and off until Burr's death in 1993.
Earl Derr Biggers' Charlie Chan
Created by an American novelist who wrote seven novels featuring the Chinese American detective from Honolulu, Charlie Chan first appeared on film in 1926 in a 10-chapter serial called The House without a Key, starring George Kuwa. Interestingly, Kuwa was Japanese and one of only three Asian actors to play the detective. In Chan's next outing in 1927, he was played by Kamiyama Sojin (Japanese) and then in 1929 by E. L. Park (Korean). In these early films, Chan's role was minimized. Chan films were unsuccessful until a Swede, Warner Oland, portrayed him in 1931 with Charlie Chan Carries On. Oland played Chan in 15 more films, often with his costar, the Chinese American actor Keye Luke, who played Chan's Number One Son, Lee Chan. Chan was next played by Sidney Toler (an American of Scottish descent); then by Roland Winters; and in the 1950s, by J. Carrol Naish on television. The character of Chan was also popular in China, prompting several productions in China starring Gu Meijun and Bai Yan.
Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot
Christie's Belgian detective, boasting prodigious, crime-solving "gray matter," has appeared in novels and stories from 1920 through 1975. The first film adaptation appeared in 1931 starring Austin Trevor. Albert Finney was nominated for an Oscar for his role as Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express (1974). Peter Ustinov played him six times. David Suchet has been playing him since 1989. Poirot has also been played by Tony Randall, Ian Holm, and Alfred Molina, and he has been voiced by Kôtarô Satomi in a recent Japanese anime.
Agatha Christie's Miss Jane Marple
It took around 30 years for someone to adapt Christie's amateur detective, the spinster Miss Marple, for the silver screen. Distinguished stage actress Margaret Rutherford was cast as the eccentric Marple in 1961's Murder She Said, and she reprised the role five times. In 1980, Angela Lansbury played Marple in The Mirror Crack'd. She later went on to play the Marple-like Jessica Fletcher in the hit TV series Murder She Wrote. Helen Hayes, the First Lady of the American stage, also played Marple on television. More recently, she has been portrayed by Joan Hickson, Geraldine McEwan, and Julie McKenzie. A popular Japanese anime series features the voice of Kaoru Yachigusa as Marple.
Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes
These days, Holmes is experiencing a major comeback, appearing on both big and small screens. Jonny Lee Miller is playing Holmes in the modern-day series Elementary, set in New York City. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Holmes in Sherlock, set in modern-day London. Robert Downey Jr. has played him in a couple of blockbuster motion pictures directed by Guy Ritchie. Over the years, Holmes has also been played by Christopher Lee, Peter O'Toole, Christopher Plummer, and many, many others (more than 70 actors have played the part in more than 200 films and television programs going back to 1900—that's right, 1900). Still, after all of these years, he is most famously embodied by Basil Rathbone, the star of stage and screen who portrayed the popular detective in many motion pictures (and on the radio), starting with The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1939.
Arthur Conan Doyle's Doctor Watson
If there are more than 70 actors portraying Sherlock Holmes, then no doubt there would likely be more than 70 actors portraying his devoted friend and assistant, Doctor John H. Watson. Most recently, in a change of pace (and gender), the good doctor is being portrayed by Lucy Liu (as Dr. Joan Watson) in Elementary on television. Over on Sherlock, Martin Freeman, aka Frodo Baggins, is Watson. Recently, on the big screen, he has been played by Jude Law. Nigel Bruce famously portrayed him as a lovable but somewhat bungling sidekick, even though his character, as written by Doyle, was anything but bungling. Other actors in the role include Robert Duvall, Ben Kingsley, Reginald Owen, and dozens more.
Ian Fleming's James Bond
It seems like every generation has to have its own Bond. James Bond, 007, based on the character from Ian Fleming's series of best-selling spy novels, had his first onscreen appearance on television in 1954 in Climax, an adaptation of Casino Royale. Played by Barry Nelson as an American agent, he was sometimes referred to as "Jimmy." For many, though, Bond is Sean Connery, who played him in seven motion pictures. While Connery wasn't the author's first choice, Fleming came around after the success of the first film, Doctor No, in 1963. Connery's sex appeal and charisma made him a big star, but he tired of the role and passed the torch to George Lazenby, who dropped it in Her Majesty's Secret Service, 1969; then Roger Moore took over, much more successfully, in 1973. Moore added a more elegant, comedic touch to 007 in Live and Let Die and six other pictures before turning the role over to Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and finally, Daniel Craig. Somewhere in there, David Niven played Sir James Bond in a comedic version of Casino Royale.


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The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department's Travel Promotion Division coordinates the agency's marketing and promotions efforts. The division administer's programs are designed to build awareness of the state as a destination and educates on the economic importance of the Oklahoma travel and tourism industry. The staff oversees numerous digital marketing, advertising, public relations, television and information programs, including the state's media and digital marketing campaigns, domestic and international group travel programs and the oversight of the multi-county matching funds program. The division also operates nine Oklahoma Tourism Information Centers, located at major points of entry across the state.
Oklahoma Tourism Department
Travel Promotion Division
123 Robert S Kerr Ave
Oklahoma City, OK 73102-6406
PO Box 248937
Oklahoma City, OK 73124-8937
Phone: 1-405-522-9500
* Required fields

subset: commoncrawl


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I'm back with another review. If you follow me on twitter, you might have seen some glimpses of this product. I have a new traincase to show you and it's super unique. I've used it at a couple of gigs already and I give it two thumbs up!
Click here to see more!
Check out my video!
If you've seen any of my previous train case videos, you'll know that www.yazmo.com is the spot to find a huge selection of traincases at reasonable rates. I had a chance to try out one of their newest models. I'm a huge fan of soft, rolling traincases because they're lighter which is super convenient when you travel or have to drag a traincase up several flights of stairs.
Soft Sided Rolling Traincase Model #TM1-3
Details from the www.Yazmo.com
Testing It Out
I've actually used this traincase on two separate weddings gigs and it worked great. They were smaller gigs so I was able to fit everything in them perfectly. It was so much quicker to clean up because everything stayed in their drawers. I didn't even need to lug a brush apron because of the built in brush roll which is actually very nice.
very compact design
wheels make it easy to travel
not too heavy when filled
ergonomic handle, shoulder strap, and expandable handle make it easy to roll, carry, or put on your shoulder
drawers are heaven - keeps you organized and saves counter space
removeable brush roll is a plus
large compartment is handy for bigger items
Smaller than I'm used to
Entire set of drawers can slide out if you pull to hard
Drawers can get caught if you overfill them
$$$ definitely an investment
I wish the pockets on the outside were a little bit bigger
Shipping for those out of the US is very high
Would I recommend? Yes! I've been longing for a traincase with drawers for a long time. It also has the benefits of being soft-sided and rolling. I wish they had a size that was a smidge bit better than I'd be in heaven.
You can find this and other products at www.yazmo.com
Use Coupon Code RENREN for 5% off your order.


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Productions that have trailers and oversized vehicles (vehicles that cannot hold a single lane up/down the Roosevelt Island helix) must park at the East Coler Hospital lots located at 900 Main Street. If your permitted location is elsewhere on the island, you should plan on stake bedding equipment to the site. Crew parking is not permitted in these lots. Crew vehicles must park at Motorgate.
Show All Answers
FDR Four Freedoms Park is independently operated and has different filming/photography guidelines. You can contact them here.


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Home Power Systems
Electricity from the Sun, Wind and Water
Welcome to Home Power Systems,
Providing environmentally safe, small scale hydro and solar generating renewable energy systems and products for off grid homes, grid tie net metering, and other remote sites.
This site includes many photos of working systems we have built, and gives a brief overview of Home Power fundamentals. There is a large variety of equipment available for use in Home Power systems. Selecting the right equipment for your site is very important. We know what works, and what does not. Please call or email and we will be glad to discuss your power needs. We have access to just about everything available, and can provide individual items or complete systems.
Each link below leads to a page with examples, pictures and information gathered over years of hands on involvement with 'Home Power Systems'.
Hold your mouse over these pictures for a description.
DC Hydro - Systems & examples
AC Hydro - Systems & examples
Photovoltaics - Solar equipment
Hydro Basics & Electrical Theory
Formulas & Tables (Printable)
FAQ & Answers
Contact and Forms
Contact Information:
Based near Vancouver BC.


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Hi fellows!
I've always been intrigued by the idea of doing some hospice work in my free time (although because of my job there is next to no free time, but we'll see) and recently contacted one of the local hospices round here. I am going round for a cup of coffee tomorrow morning and know that it may take me a very long time to participate in all the required workshops, before I can actually do anything of use, however some of you have been doing this kind of work for a longer period of time already....and I guess there's not such a great difference between death in Germany and death in the US....
maybe our Grim Reaper wears Lederhosen for all I know (although let it be said that Lederhosen are a Bavarian phenomenon for the most part....where I come from they find them just as exotic as you do).
Any personal experiences, anecdotes, Do's and Don'ts, links to sites with good material on how to do hospice work, ALL that would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your help.


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MEDIA RELEASE May 29, 2007 |
OTTAWA, Ontario -- Six of Canada's best high school mathematics students have been chosen to represent their country at the 48th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). The IMO is the world championship mathematics competition for high school students and is being held this year in Hanoi, Vietnam from July 19 to July 31, 2007.
"The six students have demonstrated the exceptional problem solving skills and creativity that is essential to compete against the very best at the international level," said Dr. Graham Wright, Executive Director of the Canadian Mathematical Society, the organization responsible for the selection and training of Canada's IMO team. "They represent the best of our students and will be excellent ambassadors for Canada".
The six students - Kent Huynh, University of Toronto Schools, Toronto (Ontario); Steven Karp, Lord Byng Secondary School, Vancouver (British Columbia); Jonathan Schneider, University of Toronto Schools, Toronto (Ontario); Yan (Cynthia) Li, Dr. Norman Bethune Collegiate Institute, Scarborough (Ontario); Alexander Remorov, William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute, North York (Ontario) and Chengyue (Jarno) Sun, Western Canada High School, Calgary (Alberta) -- were selected from among more than 200,000 students in grades 7 to 12 (plus CEGEP) who participated in local, provincial and national mathematics contests.
The Canadian team members, who must be less than 20 years old when they write the IMO competition, will be pitting their skills against more than 500 of the world's best students from over 90 countries. The IMO competition paper, which is set by an international jury of mathematicians, will be written on Wednesday, July 25 and Thursday, July 26 and the medals awarded on Monday, July 30. The contest consists of two exams, each consisting of three questions on each day with a time limit of four and one-half hours. "It is a highly challenging mathematical "hexathlon" and these are our Canadian mathletes," commented Wright.
The team will be accompanied by the Team Leader, Dr. Bill Sands (University of Calgary), Calgary, Alberta, the Deputy Team Leader, Mr. Adrian Tang (University of Calgary) and the Deputy Observer, Ms. Minh-Lac Bui.
Canada first sent a team to an IMO competition in 1981 (Washington, USA). Since then, Canadian students have done very well, receiving a total of 16 gold, 34 silver, and 58 bronze medals. At last year's IMO in Ljubljana, (Slovenia), the Canadian team placed 15th out of the 90 competing countries and won six medals.
"These competitions allow Canadian high school students to compare their results with the best of those in other countries," said Dr. Edward Barbeau, University of Toronto and Chair of the CMS Mathematical Competitions Committee. "It should be noted that Canadian students do very well even though in many countries high school finishes at age 19."
The six students will be attending a special IMO Training Camp at the University of Calgary and at the Banff International Research Station (BIRS) in Banff, Alberta from July 6 to July 22, 2007. The IMO Team Send-off Luncheon will be held on July 10 at 12:00 AM. The media can meet the team at 11:00 AM on July 10th in the Learning Commons, 5th Floor, Biological Sciences Building, University of Calgary. The team will leave for Vietnam on July 22 and will return to Canada on July 31, 2007.
In addition to the Canadian Mathematical Society, sponsors of the 2007 Canadian IMO team include: the Imperial Oil Foundation; Sun Life Financial; the Ontario Ministry of Education; Alberta Learning; Nova Scotia Department of Education; the Newfoundland and Labrador Ministry of Education; the Northwest Territories Ministry of Education; the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education; the Samuel Beatty Fund; Maplesoft; Banff International Research Station; the Fields Institute; the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences; University of Calgary; the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of New Brunswick at Fredericton; the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Ottawa; the Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto; the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing, University of Waterloo and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Graham P. Wright
Executive Director
Canadian Mathematical Society
Tel: (613) 562-5702
Cel: (613) 290-3046
Dr. Ed Barbeau
Chair - Mathematical Competitions Committee
Department of Mathematics
University of Toronto
Tel: (416)-653-1961


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Spanish law states that a sentence of under two years for a first offense can be served on probation.
Mourinho's representatives were not immediately available for comment. Manchester United and the Spanish tax agency both declined to comment.
Spanish prosecutors filed a claim against Mourinho last year on two counts of tax fraud dating back to when he coached Real Madrid. Mourinho left Real Madrid in 2013 to manage English club Chelsea for a second spell before signing with United in 2016.
Spanish tax authorities had said the Portuguese manager owed 3.3 million euros. Prosecutors said he had failed to declare revenues from his image rights in his Spanish income tax declarations from 2011 and 2012, "with the aim of obtaining illicit profits".
They said Mourinho had already settled a previous claim relating to his Spanish taxes after a 2014 inquiry, which resulted in a penalty of 1.15 million euros. But tax authorities later found that some of the information presented in that settlement was incorrect, the prosecutors said.
The Mourinho settlement comes amid a lengthening list of tax fraud cases involving soccer stars in Spain.
In June, former Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo reached a similar deal with the Spanish tax authorities to serve two years in prison and pay a 18.8 million euro fine in a tax evasion case.


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This combination of crystalline blue and off-white pillows mix soothing solids with an earthy farmhouse stripe and subtle dappled pattern.
- Remy 22x22 Pillow, Silver Lake x2
- Theo Stripe 22x22 Pillow, Lake x2
- Provo 20x20 Pillow, Mineral x2
- Baker 14x20 Lumbar Pillow, Burlap x1
- Pillows sold individually. Chose your pillows and quantities below
- Select Cover Only or With Insert
- About our pillow inserts: Our premium inserts are filled with a "faux down" microfiber. This down alternative is soft, sumptuous, and holds its shape without flattening over time. It is hypoallergenic and vegan friendly. If you would prefer a traditional down insert, choose the "cover only" option and add a feather insert to your cart separately.
We ship worldwide from Toronto, Canada. You will be contacted via email if there are any unexpected stock shortages. When your order is processed, you will receive an email containing a tracking number and confirming that your package has been sent.
In-stock items will be ready to ship within 1-2 business days. Please expect longer lead times during sales and promotional periods.
Estimated delivery times and our full shipping policy can be found here.
If you have selected "Pick up in Store" as your ship method, you will receive an email once it is ready for pick up at our Toronto shop.
We want you to be happy with your purchase! We are happy to answer any questions you may have before making a purchase, please check our FAQ page and feel free to contact us. If you are not completely satisfied, please see our full return policy here.


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Right Hand Ring in 18k Gold with Diamonds
Regular price $2,815.00 Save $-2,815.00/
Shipping calculated at checkout.
This 18k rose gold band has a design of in intertwined lines of pave set and bezel set diamonds that create a distinctive look.
Choose your metal colour! This piece is available in 18 karat yellow, 18 karat white & 18k rose gold. It can be ordered in platinum however price will change, please call or message us for more details.
Please allow up to 6-8 weeks for us to create this stunning piece for you! If you have a special date that you need it for that is earlier, please call or message us and we can rush it for you!
You can always check with us to see if we already have this in store ready for pick up too!
You can reach us at 613-837-1001 or message us on our website.
Diamond,Fashion,Gemstone Ring
Additional Information | |
Style # | NR517-R |
Vendor | Simon G |


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The Catholic Dimension at the International AIDS Conference
The International AIDS Conference, the largest gathering of HIV/AIDS researchers, educators, advocates, care-givers, and pastoral workers in the world, is meeting in Washington, DC, this week. It is the first time in over 20 years that the United States has hosted the conference; for many years U.S. immigration policy would not admit people who were HIV+ into the country, so the meeting could not be held here.
Catholics are certainly a presence at the meeting. Last weekend, Catholic Charities USA hosted a pre-conference three-day gathering of Catholics involved in pastoral care and social work with people who have HIV/AIDS. Howard University Divinity School in Washington also hosted a three-day Interfaith Conference on HIV/AIDS issues and faith.
Among those attending all three events were two Catholics from the United Kingdom, Vincent Manning and Adela Mugabo. The pair presented at the Catholic and Interfaith pre-conferences on the Catholic ministry they are doing in the UK with their organization, "Positive Catholics." Their presentation focused on the need to move from a model of peer support to a model of peer ministry. In a National Catholic Reporter article about the Catholic Charities conference, Manning described this new ministry model as "a fellowship of the weak" :
Manning, of United Kingdom faith-based group Positive Catholics, said 'stigma and fear produce a silence that isolates and excludes people,' and the aim of the group is 'to listen with great care – healing begins when a person feels seen and heard.' "
The occasion of the International Conference also sparked memories of those who have gone before us and reflections on how far we have come. Michael Sean Winters, a columnist for National Catholic Reporter offered this very poignant description as part of his blog post on the Washington meeting:
"Memory sears. It is painful. It is grounded in experience and, just so, less easily shared. Those of us who lived through the HIV crisis before there was treatment look back on that time with pained hearts. It is as Augustine wrote about the death of his childhood friend: our tears have taken the place of our friends. The emptiness of life without so many friends and colleagues who once filled our lives but died too early from this dread disease, that emptiness remains. At Mass on Sundays, during the Eucharistic prayer, the priest calls us to pray for those who have gone before us, and he usually pauses. I pray first for my Mom, then for my uncles and aunts, and my grandparents, for Fr. Kugler and Msgr. Ellis, and then I start down the list of those lost to AIDS: David, always first because he was my best friend and nary a day has passed since his death that I do not miss his wit and wisdom, Stephen, Damien, Nalty, Bryan, Hooper, Robert, the customer whose name I have forgotten who always had a coterie of friends with him when he came into the restaurant where I worked. I never seem to have time to mention them all before the priest continues with the prayer. As the priest continues, the very next lines in the Roman Canon recall apostles and martyrs: John the Baptist, Stephen, Mathias, Barnabas, Ignatius….The list of my friends who have died, which I am still muttering silently, blends in to naming of the saints. I like that."
Winters' post goes on to challenge the gay community, who he feels has re-shuffled their priorities away from HIV/AIDS to political causes such as marriage equality and the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." He observes:
"With limited resources, financial and political, it seems to me that the fight against HIV, especially because it now disproportionately affects minority populations, should still be the top priority for gay rights groups. One cannot marry if one is dead. One cannot serve openly in the armed forces if one is dead."
His concluding challenge is to ALL Catholics to continue working for people with HIV/AIDS:
"As Catholics, we cannot abandon the fight against HIV, still less our compassion for those who acquire the disease. As Catholics, we must fight the stigmatization that comes with the disease. As Catholics, our conscience and our attention must be pricked when we see a disease begin to disproportionately affect minority populations. As Catholics, we must fight to preserve the Affordable Care Act which will help make high-quality care available to everyone, not just the rich. As Catholics, called to love of neighbor, and assured that we will be judged by how we respond to the hungry, the stranger, the thirsty, and the ill, we cannot turn our eyes away from this still pernicious epidemic and all the socio-cultural sins it makes manifest."
Another set of memories comes from an Oxford University Press blog post by Richard Giannone, a retired Fordham University professor who has recently authored a memoir, Hidden: Reflections on Gay Life, AIDS, and Spiritual Desire. Giannone recalls the early days of the epidemic, and its effect on one New York City Catholic parish:
"Though the Catholic church hadn't been mother to her gay children, some came anyway to the 5:30 afternoon Mass at St. Joseph's Church in Greenwich Village. Clothes drooped on emaciated men in their mid-twenties to early forties. Pustules rutted the withered flesh of several. Some sported baseball caps to keep facial lesions shaded out of sight of onlookers. A few men used make-up to screen darkened facial spots. But nothing covered the bones of suffering or muted the sound of sickness from the pews punctuating the words of God from the altar.
"Living in wrack and ruin, these men brought life back into a church that left them for dead. They walked to the Lord's Table for sustenance, more life. The vitality of their appeal stood out in sharp relief against the lifeless Christianity that vilified their gayness. Such spiritual defiance taught me what I needed to know and need to remember.
"AIDS was our passion. Its agony thrust gay life into the vortex of twentieth-century history. This previously censored truthfulness came to rest in rows of church benches for all to bear gayness in mind as part of providential history. Their perseverance asked me to trust the body. I did.
"At the liturgy, persons with HIV were not seen as the reviled carriers of plague rejected by society. Bodies that were hosts for infections sought the host of sacred healing. Their return to the home that spurned them showed that the divine spirit was far beyond any barrier of separation that humans erected for themselves. The love that dare not say its name howled out from its heart with what voice it had left to reclaim its place in God's plan. Worship modeled a church and society to which I felt I could belong."
May such memories, as well as the present witness of those who continue to struggle with the disease, as well as those who work to prevent and cure, as well as care for those affected, spur us on to greater resolve to end the epidemic.
–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry


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Total number of athletes timed to date
Introducing Trophy case. Now you can keep all your records, PB's and Goals Crushed in one place. Set goals, collect badges, and build a better trophy case to share with friends.
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We are thoughtful and confident in our work and look for ways to impress at all times.
We utilize the ChronoTrack System for our event services and offer the 'B', 'D' and 'Tri' Tag.
We have successfully timed events for elite athletes, runners and cyclists, all with 99.9% Accuracy
Total number of athletes timed to date


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Is It Time to Sell This Chinese Tech Company?
On Jan. 24, the Chinese government finally admitted it: It doesn't like Qihoo .
In its official warning, Beijing listed six "acts of unfair competition" that the company must stop, or it might face sanctions or even a shut down. Although that may seem unlikely, Qihoo has hurt the whole Chinese tech economy more than any other company in recent memory. Here's why the government stepped in, and what it means for Qihoo's future as a business and investment.
6 "Acts of Unfair Competition"
The Chinese government dealt a huge blow to Qihoo. By warning that it must stop its "acts of unfair competition" in the desktop browser space, the government reprimanded Qihoo for abusing its power as an anti-virus security suite. Here are the six tactics that the government denounces:
Making its security suite difficult to uninstall.
Preventing users from installing competitors' software by noting (fake) incompatibility.
Warning users that their non-Qihoo browser is unsafe.
Tricking users to install Qihoo's 360 Browser through default settings.
Forcing security updates to change users' browser and homepage settings.
Tricking users into downloading the 360 Browser as an official patch from Microsoft .
As if out of the twilight zone, the Chinese government warning mirrored last year's complaints by Digital Due Diligence -- an American firm! Of course, I doubt Beijing really meant to acknowledge an American perspective. Rather, the pro-domestic-business government was saying that Qihoo really pushed the limits. And it better stop soon, or else Beijing might step in. At that point, who knows? China might shut down Qihoo.
Could this be the end of Qihoo?
To be honest, I'm hard-pressed to think of a case where the Chinese government has shut down a whole corporation. And I doubt that the government would do something like that; Qihoo has done wonders for China.
First off, Qihoo search has crushed Google in China. Since Qihoo's foray into the space last summer, Google's search market share dropped from 16.2% to 5%; in the process, Qihoo captured 10.4% and the overall market share of Chinese search companies has increased, too.
Qihoo has also dented Microsoft's dominance in the browser space, according to iResearch China. Right now, roughly 300 million Chinese users have Qihoo's 360 Browser (though how often it's used is debatable). How? Qihoo just took Internet Explorer's logo and made it green, thereby tricking users to think the 360 Browser was from Microsoft. Although Beijing's new warning may put an end to this, the government hasn't talked about the situation since Qihoo stole Microsoft's intellectual property over a year ago. All in all, the whole ordeal shows that China will let its domestic companies run amok even if you have cooperated with Chinese Internet rules and let the government monitor, say, Skype calls. At the end of the day, China is domestic-first.
And that's the crux of the problem: Qihoo is hurting Chinese tech companies, too. The warning detailed that the browser deemed "unsafe" by Qihoo was that of Sohu's Sogou . Now, it's unlikely that Qihoo only attacked Sohu. The company probably did the same with Internet Explorer, but Sohu was explicitly pointed out because it's Chinese.
If Qihoo doesn't cease and desist from hurting other Chinese tech players, I'm not sure what might happen. But, there is a first time for everything and investors should be wary for any signs that China may shut down Qihoo and put them in the red.
Qihoo's probable future
More likely, QIhoo will heed Beijing's warnings and curtail its "acts of unfair competition." What company wouldn't when face-to-face with Beijing?
All in all, preventing the company from its reviled cross-marketing tactics will stretch Qihoo thin.
For at least a year now, Qihoo simply tricked people into using its browser. By putting so much effort into these "unfair" tactics, it's doubtful whether or not any of its products are made with quality and real effort.
Moreover, the antivirus maker turned browser maker has moved into search and maps in just a few short months. With so many new verticals, it's doubtful whether this $8 billion market cap company can really take on $34 billion Baidu . So far, Baidu has released several versions of its mobile operating system and several smartphones.
Tired of Qihoo's taunts, Baidu also went on the attack. By launching "Baidu PC Faster" in January, the company signaled that it would take on Qihoo in its own game: desktop security. And by releasing the software suite in Thai and English, Baidu is putting the pressure on Qihoo to compete internationally, too.
With so many areas to invest in and its main marketing strategy gone, Qihoo really has its work cut out for it.
China's warning should be your sign to divest
Qihoo is behind the times. Although the company's "unfair" practices have worked in the past, the company needs to grow up. Now that the tech landscape seems to be dominated by domestic players, Qihoo can't count on Beijing to support it no matter the situation.
This warning should be a wake-up call. Now that it's competing more heavily against domestic players, Qihoo needs to step up its product quality and really identify what its strategy is for growth because right now it's hard to see Qihoo become the "Google of China." Baidu has been around for far too long and may be successful in preventing Qihoo from growing.
Moreover, refocusing a company is no easy task. And that's why I expect Qihoo's $30 share price (at a P/E of 80) to take a huge hit. Baidu, on the other hand, can continue to invest where it already has as the company is best positioned to capitalize on China's huge (mobile) market. And now that Baidu is trading at a P/E of 21, its price is far more reasonable than Qihoo's. If you want to learn more about the dominant Chinese search provider's strengths and weaknesses, then you should check out our brand-new premium report where we detail the bear and bull cases for Baidu. Just click here to access it now.
The article Is It Time to Sell This Chinese Tech Company? originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Kevin Chen has no position in any stocks mentioned. You can follow him at @TMFKang or on Google+. The Motley Fool recommends Baidu, Google, and Sohu.com. The Motley Fool owns shares of Baidu, Google, and Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Eagles reach D-II final by outlasting Lyndon
BARRE — For the second straight year and the third time in six seasons, the Mount Abraham Union High School girls' basketball team is going to the Division II final at the Barre Auditorium.
The top-seeded, 19-3 Eagles earned that berth in a Monday night semifinal by outscoring No. 5 Lyndon in a dramatic fourth quarter, 19-16, in a 47-42 victory.
The Eagles led throughout the second half, but the 14-9 Vikings, behind center Riley Blankenship's 24 points, seven times cut Mount Abe's advantage to a single point before the Eagles closed the game with a 5-1 run in the final 1:23.
Lyndon called time while trailing, 42-41, at 1:36. But the Eagles made a key defensive play. Lyndon tried to get the ball to Blankenship but sophomore guard Ashlie Fay came up with the steal and headed up the floor.
Ahead of her was older sister Amber Fay, and Ashlie found her at 1:23 for the 44-41 lead. Blankenship hit a free throw at 0:40 to make it a 44-42. The Vikings had to foul to get the ball back, but hit Amber Fay from behind, an infraction that the officials ruled was flagrant, giving her two free throws and the Eagles the ball.
Fay hit one at 0:22, and the Vikings had to foul again. Eagle free-throw-shooting machine Meghan Livingston then iced the win by swishing two at 0:14 to create the final score.
Amber Fay, a tri-captain who also hit a three-pointer to make it 42-38 at 2:40 (it was her first basket of the game as she scored all six of her points in the stretch), said the defense played a big part in the win.
"For some reason, we played like heck. But we always seem to pull it out in the end," Fay said. "We work hard in practice on that defense."
Fay said she didn't dwell on her earlier misses during crunch time; Coach Connie LaRose called the three-pointer "a big one."
"When you think about it, they don't fall, and when you don't, they do," Fay said.
Ashlie Fay and Livingston, also a sophomore, played key roles. Ashlie Fay led Mount Abe with 14 points, including all six of the Eagles' points in the third quarter, and four more in the fourth, plus nine rebounds, five steals and five assists. Livingston scored eight in the fourth quarter as the Eagles snapped out of a scoring funk.
LaRose was asked her opinion on the game, and credited Lyndon's zone defense and her two sophomore guards.
"Wow, that's my take," LaRose said. "Lyndon did a great job of keeping us out of our offensive flow all night long. Thank goodness for Ashlie Fay and Meg Livingston, who managed to slide in there a few times and get us a few not-in-the-typical-flow-of-the-offense shots."
Livingston and senior center Lydia Stearns (nine points, five rebounds) scored four points each in the first quarter as the Eagles took a 10-9 lead after one. Five points from Blankenship kept the Vikings afloat in the first.
The Eagles still led by one, 16-15, at 2:30 of the second when Stearns sparked a 6-0 Eagle run with a jumper and a putback. Ashlie Fay added an offensive board as the Eagles took a 22-15 lead at the break.
The Eagles could have stretched the lead further, but committed 11 of their 21 turnovers in the quarter. On the other hand, they dominated the boards in the period, 14-3, although Lyndon earned an overall 30-29 edge. Kayla Jardine's 10 and Blankenship's nine boards added up for Lyndon, while Megan Ogden snared six for the Eagles.
The turnover woes continued for Mount Abe early in the third, but the Eagles' 3-2 zone and 2-2-1 press continued to cause problems for the Vikings, too. At 2:57, the Eagle lead was still seven, 26-19, after Ashlie Fay's third and fourth points of the quarter, two free throws after a steal.
Then it occurred to Lyndon to give the ball to Blankenship. She scored twice inside in the next 1:11, forward Denielle Riendeau added a putback, and guard Hannah Jardine hit a late free throw to conclude a 7-2 Viking run that made it 28-26 after three.
The lids came off the baskets in the fourth. Livingston scored twice, while a Jardine three-point play and a coast-to-coast Blankenship foray for Lyndon cut the Eagle lead to one point each time. A Stearns free throw and Ashlie Fay's steal conversion pushed the lead to four at 4:40, but Blankenship sank a three to make it 35-34, Eagles, at 4:15.
Amber Fay set up Ogden in the post at 4:04, but two Blankenship free throws at 3:50 made it 37-36. Livingston hit a jumper at 3:05, but Blankenship drove to make it 39-38.
Then Amber Fay decided it was time to start scoring and buried a three from the right wing.
"That was huge," LaRose said.
Jardine cut the lead to a single point one final time, with another three-point play at 1:58, but the Eagles had the answers down the stretch.
For Mount Abe, Ogden finished with four points; junior guard Lizzie Huizenga, two points and two steals; and Amber Fay, three steals and four assists. Casey Ogden, Jordan Emmons and Jessie Martin also saw action.
Senior guard and tri-captain Sara Sayles, typically a starter, did not. LaRose is optimistic she can return on Saturday after about missing three weeks with a knee problem.
"With us not playing until Saturday, certainly we'll be trying her a little bit and see how she handles it," LaRose said.
The Eagles' fans and cheerleaders will also be sure to show up on Saturday. Fay and LaRose said it at times felt like a home game on Monday.
"They're there for us," LaRose said. "I can't say enough good things about them."
At 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, the Eagles will seek the program's first title since 1997 against either No. 2 Hartford or No. 3 Fair Haven, both 17-5, who were set to play on Wednesday after the deadline for this edition of the Independent. The Eagles did not play Hartford, but lost at Fair Haven in December, 40-23. LaRose said the Eagles will, as usual, will be operating with a size disadvantage on Saturday.
"But I feel good with a team of midgets that can just go really fast," she said. "I feel good to be where we're at. I really do. They played hard tonight."
Andy Kirkaldy may be reached at [email protected].
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BIRMINGHAM, England – Top seeded Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium came from a set down to beat Croatia's Ajla Tomljanovic and advance to the third round of the Aegon Classic in Birmingham on Wednesday.
On a rainy third day of the Wimbledon warmup, Flipkens won 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 and will play Magdalena Rybarikova for a place in the quarterfinals.
Third seeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania beat Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4, 6-4 and Francesca Schiavone, the 2010 French Open champion, was given a tough workout by Nadiya Kichenok before coming through 7-6 (4), 6-2.
Kristina Mladenovic and Bojana Jovanovski were among the other seeded players to progress but it was a disappointing day for the home contingent. Britons Laura Robson and Heather Watson were eliminated.


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Bus Travel
You can travel to Spain on modern buses (Eurolines/National Express, for example) from major European cities, including London, Paris, Rome, Frankfurt, and Prague. Although it may once have been the case that international bus travel was significantly cheaper than air travel, budget airlines have changed the equation. For perhaps a little more money and a large saving of travel hours, flying is increasingly the better option.
Within Spain, a number of private companies provides bus service, ranging from knee-crunchingly basic to luxurious. Fares are almost always lower than the corresponding train fares, and service covers more towns, though buses are less frequent on weekends. Smaller towns don't usually have a central bus depot, so ask the tourist office where to wait for the bus. Spain's major national long-haul bus line is ALSA.
Most of Spain's larger companies have buses with comfortable seats and adequate legroom; on longer journeys (two hours or longer), a movie is shown on board, and earphones are provided. Except on smaller, regional lines, all buses have bathrooms on board; most long-haul buses also usually stop at least once every two to three hours for a snack and bathroom break. Smoking is prohibited on board.
ALSA has four luxury classes in addition to its regular seating. Premium, available on limited routes from Madrid, includes a number of services such as à la carte meals and a private waiting room while Supra+ and Supra Economy include roomy leather seats and onboard meals. You also have the option of asientos individuales, individual seats (with no other seat on either side) that line one side of the bus. The last class is Eurobus, with a private waiting room, comfortable seats, and plenty of legroom. The Supra+ and Eurobus usually cost, respectively, up to one-third and one-fourth more than the regular seats.
If you plan to return to your initial destination, you can save by buying a round-trip ticket. Also, some of Spain's smaller, regional bus lines offer multitrip passes, which are worthwhile if you plan to move back and forth between two fixed destinations within the region. Generally, these tickets offer savings of 20% per journey; you can buy them at the station. The general rule for children is that if they occupy a seat, they pay full fare. Check the bus websites for ofertas (special offers).
At bus station ticket counters, most major credit cards (except American Express) are accepted. If you buy your ticket on the bus, it's cash only. Big lines such as ALSA encourage online purchasing. Once your ticket is booked, there's no need to go to the terminal sales desk—it's simply a matter of showing up at the bus with your ticket number and ID. Smaller regional services increasingly provide online purchasing, but will often require that your ticket be picked up at the terminal sales desk.
During peak travel times (Easter, August, and Christmas), it's a good idea to make a reservation at least a week in advance.
ALSA. 902/422242; www.alsa.es.
Eurolines/National Express. www.eurolines.co.uk.
Eurolines Spain. 902/405040; 933/674400; www.eurolines.es.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Intel demos transparent-lid hybrid PC
Tablet-cum-notebook with a 'very strange name'
CES 2012 Intel has developed a concept tablet-cum-notebook PC, dubbed Nikiski, that uses a full-width, two-sided transparent touchpad that allows you to view and interact with half of the notebook's display when the clamshell is closed.
"Nikiski is a very strange name, I agree," said Mooly Eden, general manager of Intel's PC Client Group, speaking to a packed house on Monday morning at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Nikiski is a very strange device, as well. When open, the notebook functions just as you'd expect it to, with the center of the touchpad functioning as a mouse-controlling trackpad.
When you place your palms on the touchpad to type, however, the touchpad recognizes your palms and allows you to type without your palm-touches moving the cursor. "Don't even think about copying it," Eden said of the palm-recognition feature, "because we've already patented it.
When closed, however, the transparent touchpad allows you to see Windows 8 alerts, news feeds, calendar and mail items, plus a small-window browser, and interact with them using the reverse side of the two-sided transparent capacitive touchpad.
When used this way, Nikiski functions as a large-scale Windows 8 smartphone – and considering that Intel's Ultrabook spec includes voice recognition, we see no reason why it couldn't be used as a speakerphone as well, provided that an OEM adds the requisite telecom hardware.
When you access an item through the Nikiski's closed-mode window, you can choose to open the clamshell and the item will open into full-screen mode – you could, for example, read an email message through the closed-mode window, then open the notebook and use the keyboard to type a reply.
When Eden asked the crowd if they'd like to have a Nikiski, and they responded in the affirmative, he replied, "You'll have to wait." Nikiski is, after all, merely a concept PC – but we can imagine it being a useful on-the-go device that provides a larger-screen version of smartphone alerts and interaction.
That is, if it ever sees the light of day as a product from one of Intel's stable of Ultrabook partners. ®


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Analog y online friendships.
Coffee y mail.
Important for the soul.
Just as crucial during one's day
as the ability to step away
from it all.
From a slightly rainy San Francisco, mi sincere gratitude to poetas +his lady +kittehz in portlandia.
[testing. this is mi first mobile upload via blogger app.]


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I've written more than once about that very interesting French playwright Robert Thomas. Thanks to Bob Cornwell, whose knowledge of Eurocrime, as well as Britcrime, is encyclopaedic, I have received an extract from Claude Mespiede's massive tome about the genre, which - most regrettably - has yet to be translated into English. I do hope that someday a translation is made, as it sounds like a tremendous piece of work. Meanwhile, my wife, whose French is better than mine, has kindly translated the entry about Thomas:
'Thomas, Robert (28 September 1930, Gap, Hautes-Alpes – 3 November 1989, Paris.)
At the age of fourteen, Robert Thomas discovered a passion for contemporary theatre. He left home just before taking his baccalaureat, going to Paris so he could write and act in comedies there. He paid for his theatre course with his salary as a telegrapher and worked as an extra in over fifty films. At the same time, he wrote seven plays (which were all rejected.) In 1950, he applied to Pierre Dux who employed him in Il faut marier Maman (You must marry Mother) with Denise Grey. So he began a career in the theatre, acting notably in La Main de Cesar (Caesar's hand) and Les Belles Bacchantes (The Beautiful Bacchantes.) His first two plays, Huit Femmes (Eight Women ) and Madam Trait d'Union (Mrs Hyphen) were put on in Nice, in 1958 and 1959, but did not really achieve success.
Robert Thomas' determination was rewarded by the triumph of a detective play, Piege pour un home seul ( Trap for a lonely man), produced at the Bouffes-Parisiens on 28 January 1960. It tells the story of a young couple on honeymoon: the man waits for his wife to come back following an argument. The wait becomes unusually long and starts a police enquiry which continues until a woman presents herself as the missing wife. The husband denounces her as an impostor but a number of witnesses confirm the young woman's identity…This play, rewarded by the Prix du Quai des Orfevres, was translated and produced all over the world.
The next year, Robert Thomas rewrote his first play, Eight Women, also a detective mystery: trapped by the snow in an isolated house, the woman of a single family carry out an enquiry to discover who has killed the master of the house. In spite of conventions and apparent politeness, they play, behind closed doors, a game of truth as merciless as it is pitiable, revealing their weaknesses, their lies, their secret resentments: no one is spared. The play was adapted for the cinema by Francois Ouzon in 2002.
In 1966, the author reunited, in La Perruche et le Poulet ( The Parrot and the Chicken), the famous couple of the radio programme Sur le Banc (On the Bench): Jane Sourza and Raymond Souplex. A lawyer's secretary is getting ready to close the office when she finds her boss stabbed. By the time the police arrive on the scene, the body has disappeared. Has there been a crime? A series of surprises and a denouement completely unforeseen prove to the policeman (the chicken) that the talkative secretary (the parrot) was right. Other important plays by Robert Thomas worth mentioning are Le Deuxieme coup de Feu (The second shot) 1965, Assassins associes (Muderers associated) 1965, Freddy 1969. Un ami..imprevu (an unforeseen friend) 1969 in the style of Agatha Christie, Double jeu (Double Game) 1970, La Poulette aux oeufs d'or (The chicken and the golden eggs) 1973, La chambre Mandarine (The Mandarin Room) 1974, Les Batards (the Bastards) 1979, Princesse Baraka (Princess Baraka)1995.
A film director, especially for Darryl Zannuck, he also produced television series, sometimes writing episodes and sometimes appearing in them. From 1970 until his death in 1989, Robert Thomas was the Director of The Edward VII Theatre.
With his lively and rhythmic suspense comedies, Robert Thomas knew how to introduce a certain French spirit into the world of the detective play, (which up to that point had seemed reserved for Anglo Saxon authors) yet without claiming to do anything other than entertain his audience.'
Thursday 1 April 2010
Robert Thomas
11 comments:
I am trying to find a copy of Thomas' play 8 Women; can anyone help me - firstname.lastname@example.com
- 25 June 2010 at 00:35
There is an English translation of
Eight women [Huit femmes]
Published in Johannesburg by DALRO, 1971.
Worldcat located only two copies in South Africa.
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/85914016 - 22 October 2010 at 15:29
- Martin Edwards said...
Thanks very much, Anon.
- 22 October 2010 at 19:31
I have a copy in English but I am afraid since I had it translated myself I am bound not to publish it or transmit it electronically. The rights to an English translation - as I understand - cannot be granted.
- 4 November 2010 at 05:37
Eight Women is about to be performed at Southwark Playhouse in London from 15 March in 2011. The estate has granted the rights for a new translation which has been made by Donald Sturrock. I think this is the first official production in the UK.
- 13 February 2011 at 18:57
- Martin Edwards said...
Great news, Anon! Is the translation available?
- 13 February 2011 at 19:33
- Mike Hobart said...
I saw this last night at the Playhouse theatre in Hobart, Tasmania. Apparently this is only the second time it's been presented on stage in English - the play's English-language world premiere was seven years ago in Australia. Barbara Royston did the translation; I think she's an academic from Queensland University.
- 22 February 2011 at 14:22
It is now on at the Southwark Playhouse in London, the official UK premier, here's a link to one of the first reviews to come out: http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=207&story=E8831300702782
The translation by Donald Sturrock is not yet available in print. - 22 March 2011 at 00:43
The wikipedia page on Robert Thomas is pretty pathetic, I don't suppose you'd be interested in adding some of this knowledge to it?
That would be awesome. - 28 November 2011 at 19:40
Does anyone have any information about the current owner of the stage, television, and film rights to Robert Thomas' works?
- 10 January 2014 at 16:13
- Unknown said...
[8 wemen]was on stage in Tokyo,Japan from 13 Nov to 17, 2019 at small theatre by Japanese translation. this company was small,
and almost all actress are voice over- actress.
However, this play was on commercial theatre two times on 2004 an 2011 by well known tv
and stage actress with some success. Such a tricky story is favarable for Japanese audience.
- 19 November 2019 at 14:13


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Battle of Wills
Some movies only require a script, actors, and a camera. A good and tragically underseen example of this is 2018's The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, a thriller following an ex-cop investigating a police funeral and his suspicion that the shooter belongs to the same militia he does. It's a great film that had an estimated budget of $450,000. Costs were kept low by keeping the locations modest. It also helped that the vast majority of scenes were essentially guys talking to each other in rooms. It's a great film due to smart writing, efficient direction, and strong acting. Does the fact that it... Read More


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*the above picture is of a recent cartoon print by Hugh Macleod, of gapingvoid which now hangs in our kitchen. Appropriate to say the least.
We wrote about The Creative Habit: Learn It And Use It For Life by Twyla Tharp back in August of 2005. We can honestly say that this is a book that has stood the test of time. It's one that we revisit occasionally when we need a little bit of inspiration because it helps remind us that creativity is something that we need to work at every day. This website is all about creativity in the kitchen and we think it's a skill that needs to be used in every part of our daily lives. It's easy to fall into a rut and do things the same old way. The harder choice is to push yourself to think of a different aproach, to find a path and try something new. This is post #3000 here at Ideas in Food and so instead of a cookbook we are giving away some creativity in the form of Twyla's book.
We will be giving away one copy of the book to three different readers this week. Please leave a comment below telling us why creativity is important to you. One entry per person please. Winners will be picked randomly on Friday, February 3, 2012 at 9am EST. This giveaway is now closed. WInners will be notified via email. Thanks for commenting.
Years Past


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It is time to play a Wild Card! Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour. Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his/her book's FIRST chapter!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
and his book:
Tyndale House Publishers (August 13, 2008)
Harold Myra served as the CEO of Christianity Today International for 32 years. Under his leadership, the organization grew from one magazine to a communications company with a dozen magazines, co-published books and a major internet ministry.
Author of five novels, numerous children's and non-fiction books and hundreds of magazine articles, Myra has taught writing and publishing at the Graduate School of Wheaton College in Illinois. He holds honorary doctorates from several colleges, including Biola University in California and Gordon College in Massachusetts. Harold and his wife Jeanette are the parents of six children and five grandchildren. They reside in Wheaton, Illinois.
Visit the author's website.
Product Details:
List Price: $12.99
Hardcover: 112 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers (August 13, 2008)
Language: English
The alarm barely penetrated David's sleep. He fumbled with the unfamiliar hotel clock, found the button, and pressed.
Ten minutes later, another alarm blared at him from across the room. Although he had set it himself, he threw back the covers and stamped toward the sound, slammed it quiet, then burrowed back into his pillow.
An hour later, morning sunlight through the sliding glass door played on his face. He opened one eye. Outside, aspen and birch leaves filtered the light. A swallow flitted by. He sat bolt upright and looked at the clock beside him.
Already 6:30! He only had one day here, and now he had wasted the best hour.
David had wanted to rise before dawn, to inhale these surroundings as the trees and lake became visible. He loved rising at dawn to see the sunrise and feel some control over his day, though he hadn't done so in years. Now the sun was already bright in a blue sky.
He felt little control over his life these days. The communications company where he worked had downsized, firing half his colleagues. Maybe he'd be next.
To make matters worse, he felt betrayed by his boss, Frank, who had persuaded him to give up a very good job to take his current position. Now David realized Frank had known all along that his company was in trouble, that David's strengths would enable him to function with fewer people. It was particularly galling that Frank had lured him not with money but with a mission he knew David believed in—providing hope to mentally ill children. David cared deeply for children and had been willing to swallow a reduced salary. He had accepted the deal but now would have to do the work of at least two people and as a result had come to detest Frank.
Twisting his body toward the window and putting his feet on the floor, he reached over to pick up a photo of his wife, Marcia. It was his favorite—she was looking out from under a beach umbrella with an impish grin. At least Marcia wouldn't let him go.
David stood, ran his fingers through his reddish brown hair, pulled his jeans on, and buttoned them over his flat belly, the result of careful eating and no-nonsense workouts. He had always brought passion to whatever he did and drove himself to be self-disciplined and to make a difference in the world. He inserted the coffee bag into the cabin's little Black & Decker coffeemaker and filled the carafe only halfway. Lately he wanted his coffee stronger and stronger. He felt like he had been an ice skater pumping full-bore through life and gaining speed but had suddenly hit a line of dirt and crashed.
Marcia had arranged this cabin for him. "Get away—at least for one day," she had said. "Go up north this Sunday. Take all day in the woods. Decompress!"
Thank goodness for Marcia. He hated making her feel bad; he wanted to match her enthusiasm for life as he always had. But Frank's treachery and David's own career slump made his drive and dreams of significance seem a farce.
The two mugs of black coffee were just enough to wash down the big sweet roll he had bought the night before. Now he was wired, but he sat quietly, staring at the woods and lake. His parents had often brought him here as a child to explore this lake and the trails through the woods. Now he longed for that uncomplicated joy, for the solitude and wonder of sighting a hawk floating above or being startled by the warning snort of a deer. Once he had come upon a doe in a meadow with two speckled fawns, one nursing at her side. He had scarcely breathed as he watched until the fawn pulled away and all three walked slowly into the woods.
Finally David slid open the glass door and walked down to the lake. At water's edge he watched five seagulls skimming the surface, rising, plunging, soaring in their spontaneous choreography. Two mallards dipped toward the lake and gracefully hit the water.
In that instant, magnificent music erupted into David's world, resonating throughout his body, music of unknown instruments lifting and inspiring. At the same moment he saw the blue sky shattered by a kaleidoscope of colors and vivid images pulsing from horizon to horizon. On the lake, shimmering, cascading light illumined the waves, reflecting purples, magentas, and greens.
A sliver of something like joy rippled through him and then evaporated. Fragrances filled his nostrils, odors he found so delightful he involuntarily breathed deeply to capture more.
All this happened in a moment and was gone. The extraordinary phenomenon that was forever imprinted on his memory was over in a moment, leaving every sense of his mind and body jolted, tantalized, drawn into the strange, celebratory dynamics, as if his entire being was made for them.
A few years before, David had happened to look out his window during a storm just as a bolt of lightning had struck a nearby tree. It had sheared off half the trunk, and David had been stunned at both the blinding light and the force—like a giant sledgehammer of light that had slammed into his yard.
Now, standing at lake's edge, he felt the same extreme of force, but far more than a sledgehammer of white light. It had captured the sky with colors and shapes and had reverberated like cannon fire. Yet like the lightning hitting the tree, the mysterious phenomenon was over in seconds. What had it been? Could it actually have lasted just moments, all that grandeur, all that force and image and fragrance already vanished?
He looked around. All was as it had been. No broken trees. No breaks in the lake's perimeter. Just clear sunlight shimmering on the waves. He scanned the sky. Only a few white clouds in the expanse of blue. He sniffed the air. Nothing but the scent of pine. He looked behind him to the hotel. No one in sight.
He stood on the sand by the lapping water for long moments, letting all the elements of those extraordinary seconds flow through his consciousness.
As he slowly sat down on a bench, the shapes and sounds and emotions still resonated in his trembling body. He could make no sense of what he had just experienced. He felt like a man on a raft in rapids, plunging and spinning through waves, spray, rocks, and logs, not knowing what might befall him next. At the same time, nibbling at the deep pools of his angst was a wondrous elixir of the scents and sounds and images . . . and a tantalizing element of peace.
The mallards flew off. The gulls had settled across the lake, five white, bobbing specks on the waves. Yet the serenity around him did nothing to soothe his inner turmoil. What was happening to him? He looked down at the white pebbles of the manicured walk beside his feet. Everything was perfect, lovely, "decompressing"—yet within him, a maelstrom of weariness, confusion, and desires.
David trudged the pebbled walk to the resort office, his eyes probing every bush, brick, and branch. He picked up a fat pinecone and felt its perfect ridges in his hand. Everything was the same as when he'd awakened this morning, yet in some strange way, his world had changed.
In the office he asked the woman at the counter, "Did you hear that loud sound out at the lake? About half hour ago?"
Cocking her head and scrunching her angular features, the woman looked up from counting restaurant receipts. "Nope." She looked back down, her fingers still working the receipts.
"It was a strange sound," he said, "and a huge flash of colorful light. Someone must have heard or seen it."
She shrugged.
He watched her moving fingers and squeezed the pinecone till he felt a little stab of pain. "I was hoping someone besides me had heard it."
"Sonic boom!" The hearty voice from behind startled him, and he whirled around to face two older men lounging in captain's chairs. They wore flannel shirts under battered fishing hats. "Happens up here, young fella," one of them declared.
The man was sitting back in his chair, eyes on David as if to appraise this city boy. His authoritative tone rankled David.
Despite himself, David put a sarcastic edge on his response. "Not a sonic boom! I've heard sonic booms. And there were brilliant, strange lights."
The man edged up in his chair as if savoring this new development. "Strange, eh?" He turned to his companion. "Hear anything or see anything strange, Ed?"
Ed, heavyset and sunk in his chair, smiled, shook his head, and said, "Naw, Pete. Not today."
Both men looked at David with amusement. David squeezed the pinecone in his hand so hard he could feel it etching little ridges in his palm. Turning his head toward the woman, David saw she had set aside the receipts, her full attention on the little drama, mouth crinkling toward a smile.
Disdain. The old man's face was eloquent in showing his contempt, with just a trace of triumphant grin. His expression reminded David of an action movie scene he remembered: the hero, with that same look of disdain, had silenced a bragging Nazi youth, staring him into humiliation.
This old guy with the same look was no movie hero. He was pudgy and looked a little like David's boss. In fact, the man reminded David far too much of Frank, and he felt rage growing in his chest. He thought of all sorts of cutting responses, yet he sensed more verbal jousting would most likely result in his being humiliated even more.
David looked over at the woman at the desk. Her smile masked a hint of gloating satisfaction. She slightly raised her eyebrows as his eyes met hers and then, maddeningly, she winked at him.
Instead of responding, he turned abruptly and stepped outside. Halfway back to his cabin, he flung the pinecone in a high arc toward the lake.
Copyright © 2008 by Harold Myra. All Rights Reserved.


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What's the rudest behavior you've seen at work by someone with a smartphone in their hand? It may take you a minute to think of the No. 1 worst behavior (many people seem to carry a list in their pocket), but before you spout off, I want you to consider something else. What's your rudest workplace behavior? Are you snarking about someone else's behavior when your manners are less than stellar? Think about it as you read this story I did for Gannett/USA Today...
More than 40 years ago, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said that while it was difficult to define pornography, "I know it when I see it."
The etiquette police who are trying to keep up with the rapidly evolving world of mobile devices and their effect on the workplace probably would say the same. They may not be able to define what is considered bad manners, but they know the terrible behavior when they see an employee's email, text, tweet, blog entry,Facebook posting or YouTube video — or see someone trying to create one on the fly.
It appears others do, too. A recent Intel survey found that 9 of 10 Americans report they've seen others misuse technology; 75% agree that mobile etiquette is worse than it was a year ago.
The results don't surprise Lisa Grotts, a certified etiquette consultant.
"Welcome to the new world," she says. "Someday a sociologist is going to have a heyday studying how our (etiquette) rules have changed because of technology and online communication."
Because technological changes are so constant, she thinks it's inevitable that some social and professional gaffes will be made.
"Bad manners are inescapable," she says.
The Intel study found that we're often aware of our own poor behavior. Almost 1 in 5 respondents report they know they're being rude but do it because everyone else does.
So it's a little difficult to gripe at a cubicle mate for talking too loudly on a cellphone when you've been guilty of doing the same thing — or something equally obnoxious.
Adding to the problem: What may be OK in your social circles could be considered annoying in professional ones.
Still, the Intel study found that it's worth making an effort to adjust your behavior when using your iPhone, BlackBerry, Android or other mobile device if you want to keep the peace in your office and not irk the boss. Of those participating in the survey, 65% say they get angry at those who are disrespectful toward others with their tech use.
So, even though your cubicle mate talks loudly on her cellphone or texts her boyfriend constantly, it doesn't mean you should do the same thing. Instead, taking the time to find a private place to have a private conversation may impress colleagues and your manager with your professionalism.
Here are other ways to stay on the right side of using technology in professional settings:
• Don't look down. How would you feel if you were speaking to a colleague, and the person immediately picked up a newspaper and held it in front of his face to read? It's the same feeling others get when you look at your smartphone to check email, tap out a text message or play with an app when they're speaking.
"I think the best idea is to follow the Golden Rule," Grotts says. "It's all about showing mutual respect."
• Use "text speak" sparingly. Years ago it would have been considered extremely unprofessional to use "tho" for "though" and not include a salutation in an email. But when firing messages back-and-forth to a colleague from a smartphone, it's more acceptable to keep the missive short and to the point. Just be aware of your receiver and whether the person might be offended with such shortcuts.
• Avoid multitasking. Most people complain about rude behavior when people are trying to do too many things at one time, so they are aware of their bad manners. For example, talking on your cellphone while walking to lunch with a co-worker or while using the company restroom isn't usually necessary and should be avoided.
You represent your employer. If you're being rude with your tech use while on the job, it also can reflect poorly on your employer.
While you may not think that texting during a conference session is rude, your boss may not like the unprofessional message it sends to competitors or colleagues.
What's a rude workplace behavior that drives you crazy?


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Photo: Ali Bell |
By Ali Bell
I have been asked so many times by folk in New Zealand what Swedes make of the Assange case, I thought it would be clarifying to put it together in an article, but crystal clear it isn't. "The truth" might be out there but nowhere I can swear by.
So much of what is reported is speculation, rumour and online leaks, following it is like following a plot more convoluted than an episode of TV's Spooks, with just as many possible inside governmental plots and backstage international alliances, with attractive "stock characters" as sexy Swedish female patsies or (least likely) honeytrapping spies, and with secrecy in every phonecall nook and governmental-memo cranny.
Thrown in to boot – a momentous hot potato like Wikileaks but with a hard-to-warm-to protagonist, and on top of all this a sexual-crimes case that has us all gobsmacked (including at least one of the victims) and set it in one of the most socio-politically idealistic but judicially flawed countries in the Western world – it would be an enthralling TV show indeed. 24 (or in this case 23 months and counting) eat your heart out.
But it hasn't been 24 hours, and we are getting media fatigue – I know I am – from the case. How long can Assange hang out in the Ecuadorian embassy in London after all?
No Swede I have talked to believes this rape/sex crimes charge comes from a genuine wish to clean up the world for women's sexual safety. (Rapes in Sweden can be as difficult as other Western countries to get a conviction for.)
Everyone mentions the timing of the charges as being far too convenient (in order to get Assange into custody here), and no-one doubts, erroneously or not, that the Swedes intend to hand him over to the Americans and that Assange has every reason to fear this.
It must be noted that the public prosecutor in charge of this case vehemently denies that this is Sweden's intention.
What we do know is there were leaks everywhere – and not just from Assange's condoms.


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EAU CLAIRE, Wisconsin (CNN) -- A White House spokesman denied Wednesday that President Bush told Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson that he did not expect casualties from the invasion of Iraq.
"The president never made such a comment," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.
Senior Bush campaign adviser Karen Hughes, a longtime confidant of the president, said she was "certain" Bush would not have said anything like that to Robertson.
"Perhaps he misunderstood, but I've never heard the president say any such thing," Hughes said on CNN's "Inside Politics."
Robertson, an ardent Bush supporter, told CNN in an interview Tuesday night that he urged the president to prepare the American people for the prospect of casualties before launching the war in March 2003.
Robertson said Bush told him, " 'Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties.' "
More than 1,100 American troops have been killed in Iraq since the invasion, most of them battling an insurgency that followed the overthrow of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Sen. John Kerry, Bush's Democratic challenger, quickly seized on Robertson's account.
Kerry's campaign issued a statement Wednesday challenging Bush to say whether the "700 Club" founder and 1988 GOP presidential candidate was telling the truth.
"We believe President Bush should get the benefit of the doubt here," Kerry spokesman Mike McCurry said in a news release.
"But he needs to come forward and answer a very simple question: Is Pat Robertson telling the truth when he said you didn't think there'd be any casualties, or is Pat Robertson lying?"
McClellan said Bush did meet with Robertson in Nashville before the invasion, as Robertson recounted. But McClellan said Bush always has recognized that war "requires sacrifice" and that there would be American casualties.
In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, Robertson restated his "100 percent" support for Bush's re-election and said he began and ended his CNN interview "with my warm endorsement and praise of President Bush." But he did not back away from his comments.
"I emphatically stated that, 'I believe 'the blessing of heaven is upon him,' and I am persuaded that he will win this election and prevail on the war against terror in order to keep America safe from her avowed enemies," Robertson said.
In his CNN interview, the religious leader described Bush on the eve of the invasion as "the most self-assured man I've ever met in my life."
"You remember Mark Twain said, 'He looks like a contented Christian with four aces.' I mean he was just sitting there like, 'I'm on top of the world,' " Robertson said on CNN's "Paula Zahn Now."
"And I warned him about this war. I had deep misgivings about this war, deep misgivings. And I was trying to say, 'Mr. President, you had better prepare the American people for casualties.' "
He said that's when the president told him he did not expect casualties from the invasion.
In the interview, Robertson also said he wishes Bush would admit to mistakes made.
"I mean, the Lord told me it was going to be A, a disaster, and B, messy," Robertson said. "I warned him about casualties."
Asked why he thought Bush has refused to admit to mistakes on Iraq, Robertson said, "I don't know this politics game. You know, you can never say you were wrong because the opposition grabs onto it: 'See, he admitted he screwed up.' "
Even as Robertson criticized Bush for downplaying the potential dangers of the Iraq war, he heaped praise on Bush, saying he believes the president will win the election.
"Even if he stumbles and messes up -- and he's had his share of stumbles and gaffes -- I just think God's blessing is on him," Robertson said.
CNN's John King contributed to this report.


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Mike Hughes says his love of networking is a big factor in both his employee benefits job and his new business.
In the midst of a buy-local and farm-to-table craze in Grand Rapids, Mike Hughes decided to start a side project. The employee benefits specialist began Doorganics, a company offering weekly door-to-door delivery of organic fruits and vegetables.
"I was reading entrepreneurial blogs and I wanted to be a part of it — I had an itch," said Hughes, 32.
"It's a natural tie with what I'm doing: The reason health insurance is going up is poor health habits. It all starts with wellness, and good eating habits are a part of that."
Hughes had heard about door-to-door delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables in other cities, but found an absence of the service in Grand Rapids. And so Doorganics was born in the summer of 2011. The first day, 15 customers signed up. By the time the first delivery was scheduled, the number of customers had nearly doubled, and now the customer base is more than 100.
When he first began to travel to local farms to test the waters, however, he received a lukewarm reception from the farmers.
"They didn't know if it was legit," he said. "They were unsure if we would just add crazy markups to the products."
Before long, however, Dave Lundberg of Ingraberg Farms came to his aid. Lundberg, and Ingraberg Farms, had been one of the first to start the local farm-to-table movement. Hughes said Lundberg took notice of his door-to-door delivery idea and knew it had been successful in larger cities.
"Farmer Dave took a huge interest," Hughes said. "Without him and the connections, we wouldn't be here."
Despite the slow start with finding suppliers, Doorganics now uses between 15 and 20 different farms, and Hughes said each delivery has at least one item from local farms — in the summer most, if not all, products are local. The delivery for the week of Jan. 28 included local basil, among an assortment of Fuji apples, grapefruits, kiwis, carrots, Cremini mushrooms, lettuce spring mix, red potatoes and Roma tomatoes.
"A lot of small farms are popping up," Hughes said. "We're always looking to expand our network and looking to help."
There are two sizes of orders available in the Doorganics system: A small bin can feed a family of three for a week, while the larger size will feed four to five people.
Produce is delivered to the Doorganic warehouse near the corner of Michigan Street and Fuller Avenue NE several times a week — nearly daily during the summer. Hughes said the location is exactly what he needed because it's mostly cooler space.
The networking part of his "day job" at Coleman+Hughes helped him ease into the business of looking for farms to supply Doorganics. Hughes joined his father in the employee benefits business in 2005.
"That's my favorite part of the jobs," Hughes said. "I really enjoy meeting with business owners and learning their stories."
The chance to go into business with his father but still be on his own as a consultant allowed him scratch his entrepreneurial itch. But that itch intensified as the years passed, and then the Doorganics chance opened up.
He said a lot of his existing connections came together and were interested in helping him succeed in his new venture.
Hughes sees his work at Doorganics as an extension of the bachelor's degree in communications he received from Michigan State University. He is heavily involved in the MSU alumni association as the president of the MSU Club of West Michigan. On top of his two jobs, Hughes is in the middle of planning the annual Spartan Tailgate, which will bring Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio, athletic director Mark Hollis and NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins to town.
Starting a new business has furthered his education.
"I look at it as I'm getting my MBA," he said. "I've built (Doorganics) from the ground up — no franchise — overcoming little obstacles you don't think exist."
One of the major obstacles Doorganics had to endure in its first full year of operation was the major drought of the 2012 growing season, which hit farmers hard. And with the first farmers market of the year in the spring, Doorganics already had lost about 30 percent of its customer base.
"We had a few really challenging months," he said. "But I feel really good that we're standing after 2012."
Last August, Doorganics won an award from Grand Rapids-based Open Systems Technologies. The firm's Think Big contest awarded $5,000 in technology services to each of three firms. Doorganics used the money to work with OST consultants to identify a better online merchandising system. Hughes said there were no canned solutions for the kind of website his company needed, and the work would have cost his company upward of $20,000.
Prior to the new website upgrade, which just went live mid-January, everything was done manually through emails and Excel spreadsheets, and items and skip-dates occasionally were missed. Now orders can be customized, as well, with options to add items such as meats, cheeses and coffee from local producers. The website even includes a section for recipes submitted by customers and bios of the farms that supply the products.
"Our customers will love it," Hughes said of the new online system at doorganicsgr.com.
Huges is focused on making his customers happy. He takes it personally if he gets a complaint letter, call or email. He said although 90 percent of his customers are generally happy, he still takes the other 10 percent seriously because "we want everyone to like us.
"I owe something to all my customers," he said. "That's my name; I'm hurting my reputation if I don't make them happy."
The already buzzing sustainable- and "buy local"-conscious community in Grand Rapids doesn't hurt, Huges said.
"It's grown so much since 2002. From East Hills to Wealthy Street, the local movement is crazy," he said. "I'm bashful to say that I'm a part of this great community."
That community is about to get a huge boost from the Business Journal's announcement that the new Downtown Market has been named Newsmaker of the Year, Hughes said.
"The Downtown Market will help bring a ton of awareness to the local first mentality," he said. "The more we can do to help, the better. There are so few people who shop that way, currently."
He said the market will help give the "little guys" an avenue to success with access to commercial kitchens and store fronts.
Hughes isn't a fan of the phrase "pay it forward," but he loves the philosophy. He believes in helping the community and that life always comes full circle.
Doorganics has donated more than 1,000 pounds of leftover produce to God's Kitchen, a Catholic Social Services agency in Heartside that provides free meals to the hungry.
"You're goal should be to help others," he said. "That's why I enjoy networking so much. We all have the potential to be successful, and if you're willing to help someone else attain it, it'll come back to you."
He said without the help of countless people, his life wouldn't be the same.
"I respect the help," he said. "But I have a lot of help to repay."